To Market

Spent an invigorating couple of hours talking to people at Bath Farmers' Market this morning. The sense of community was tangible and the spirit of enterprise poured out of every stall.



Having served as a soldier, I have often found myself talking to local people around the globe, but to be honest this was the first time I had tried it in the United Kingdom. Suffice to say, people could not have been friendlier and were very interested to hear Libertas’ pan-European approach to creating a Europe people can believe in.

But it ain't going to be plain sailing: some know they should vote, but don’t; others don’t think their vote counts for anything and then there are the party loyalists. One Labour supporter I spoke to was particularly inclined to brush me off. However, when I told him that democracy and reform transcended party politics and asked how he felt being denied a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty (a Labour manifesto promise), I began to sense the first traces of a willingness to engage. That we continue to recruit people from across the political spectrum as supporters and candidates is a bit of ammunition I will save for next time.

So, a local market with a local feel: Laura who runs the stalls (expect Libertas there soon); the Thoughtful (and I have to say engaging) Bread Company, the chocolate stall run by Nicola, who would make an excellent candidate. I didn’t manage to persuade her, but I think we may just have got her vote.

And last but not least Ken Box. Just as we were thinking about leaving, up marched Ken clutching the newspaper article from the Bath Chronicle – ‘Ex-Army man to see action in battlefield of European politics’ - to ask what all this Libertas is about? So I told him. In truth, Ken is probably for withdrawal, which is not the Libertas position, but he listened, liked the pan-European approach to fixing the European Union problem and we exchanged emails.

Ken we need your support and the support of many millions more like you who really care about the democratic process, which sits right at the heart of the Libertas platform.